Men's Shed Vernon

Posted by Colin Heggie on Jun 18, 2019

Dr Craig Goplen introduced Ray Verlage, a founder of Men’s Shed Vernon. Rays says retirement means different things to different people, but it doesn’t mean stop! He prefers the term “redeploy.” Some people get lonely after retirement, particularly those who’ve worked hard at jobs involving a lot of people contact. Men’s sheds focus on building projects & healthy social interactions amongst members, & with local non-profits. New members are warned that if they’re not careful, they might learn something, or feel better about themselves! There are three types of projects: 1) self-financed for individuals or groups, 2) enterprises for selling goods or services, & 3) community service. There are presently about 6,500 Vernon men over 65 – a demographic growing at 15% annually. The Vernon Men’s Shed started in 2018. It aims to capture 5% of those men as members, & to acquire a suitable meeting place of 3,000 to 4,000 square feet. They presently meet 9am to 1pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays, at Elephant Storage, 6136 Okanagan Ave. Visit https://www.mensshedvernon.ca/